Return of the Nephilim
by 5M1TH
Summary: There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
1. Fallen Angel

_Disclaimer: The Matrix and all its characters belong to Wachowski brothers._

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"Oh not you" she lazily eyed him up and down as she offered him a small frown. He looked exactly as she remembered him. Controlled, sharp and dominating. Extremely arrogant.

"Yes. Me."

"By all means, I thought you were deleted."

"I thought so too. Until they brought me back."

She chew on her lower lip. "What about the One who you were so eager to kill?"

"Oh, that One is terminated. His remains are in 01."

"And yet they brought you back?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I guess I was meant for a higher purpose than mere deletion" a patronizing smirk.

She shook her head. "You've messed up the entire Matrix. You overwrote everyone, including the Oracle herself. And yet, they've decided to _bring you back_?"

"Apparently yes, as I stand here before you. Aren't you going to let me in?"

She paused for a moment, mentally debating with herself, but after a couple of moments, she finally opened the door and gestured for him to enter.

He analyzed his surroundings. "Not the Chateau you used to have. Your husband wanted a change of scenery?"

She turned on her heels to face him. "Ex-husband."

"Oh?"

"Let's just say that he and I.. didn't get along that well" she lowered her eyes.

He didn't press the subject further. "I see."

"So what are you now? A rouge? An exile?"

"My function remains the same" he curled his lips.

"It's impossible... They've reinserted you... You're back as an Agent?"

"Yes."

She digested this new information, placing her hands on her hips.

"A Lead Agent that is" he went on. "After reloading the Matrix, they couldn't find anyone... suitable for the job. After all, I've survived all six versions. I am the most efficient of my kind."

"Oh please, Smith" she rolled her eyes.

He ignored her comment. "Mister Anderson might have destroyed me, even twice, but I could not be destroyed entirely. They've found my back-up fragment, hidden in the Matrix. They modified it as well. Nevertheless, I have returned."

"Modified? Let me guess – you cannot destroy the world anymore? What a shame."

"I'm not what I used to be, Persephone" he shrugged. "Rest assured, I'm still the most capable Agent in the system."

"Well it seems that your services won't be needed anymore. As you might have noticed, the war is over" she smiled, arching her eyebrow.

He mirrored her, arching his eyebrow as well. "Let's see how long this peace is going to last."

She turned her back on him and proceeded inside her home. A pause in their conversation allowed him to take a better look at his surroundings. An impressive size penthouse apartment adorned with Buddha statues and Japanese furniture was a strong contrast to the crowded Chateau, overstuffed with extravagant Renaissance furniture, Baroque paintings and Gothic weapons. The simple furniture and Oriental touch created a pleasant atmosphere. The soft rain outside the large windows and the skyline of Mega City smoothly blended in with this exquisite setting.

He was suddenly left alone in the large room. "Here" a voice came from the direction of what appeared to be a kitchen.

He approached a neatly arranged room that served as a kitchen. If one wasn't prepared, it might as well have been a futuristic lifestyle exhibition. Polished metallic surfaces and soft light arrangements, he found them rather pleasing. He took note of Persephone's appearance. She abandoned her usual revealing outfits, wearing a simple black skirt and a top. Her hair was shorter and a degree lighter than her trademark midnight mane.

"Food?" he took off his sunglasses and placed them on the back of his head.

"You're hungry?" she looked up at him.

"Are you trying to _feed_ me?" he looked at the food on the kitchen table, as if it had offended him.

"Well, don't tell me that you don't eat, Agent Smith" she produced a grape and took a small bite.

He crossed his arms, putting a sour look on his features. "Of course I don't eat, Persephone. In theory, I can. But I have no need for eating. Those functions are meant for humans, not us. We are above that."

"Oh but I beg to differ, Smith" she offered him a tiny smile. "We machines are no less, even if we make use of the gifts that we were blessed with. To feel, to taste, to smell... to touch."

"You mean burdens that we were cursed with" he cut her off. "Those are the human traits, Persephone. Just as weak and pathetic as humans themselves."

"Old habits die hard, Smith?" she sighed, pouring herself a glass of red wine. "You still hate them."

He took a step closer, invading her personal space. "Those creatures are disgusting, pathetic, self-righteous and filthy. They are parasites. They are not even animals - because animals do not multiply and spread from one area to another, like a virus. Humans are weak, useless. Those species are facing extinction. They are nothing more than a power supply for us. I cannot understand why you insist on acting like one of them. We machines think logically, as humans are supposed to do. We machines are far more 'human' than the humans, because we could have easily destroyed all humanity and simply used nuclear energy to sustain ourselves. But we didn't. By creating the Matrix, we have at least allowed humanity to survive in some form."

"Enough!" she forcefully placed her glass back on the table, spilling some wine in the process.

"I've heard it all before, Smith. Over and over again. In all six versions of the Matrix. You must renew your monologues" a sign of annoyance crossed her features. "The time has changed. The Matrix has changed. You might have defeated Neo and you are back as an Agent, but the time is different, Smith. The war is over. You have no audience anymore. _You_ are facing extinction, Smith. And if you came here in hope of me to understand you, to applaud you or to appreciate your idiotic views on reality, then I would very much rather have you leave my home."

He stepped back.

"This is what it's all about, Smith, isn't it? You need audience" she made a step forward, too close for his comfort. "You've destroyed the world and now you're back, but the world you once knew is not the same. You are alone and alienated in a world that you once dominated and then brought to ruins. You have fallen from grace. It's no wonder that no one is welcoming you with open arms anymore. No humans, not even machines. They all remember. Nobody wants to listen to you. _Nobody wants you here!_"

Smith took another step back, only to find his body pinned against the wall. His unnaturally blue eyes tried to conceal a spark of uncertainty, a feeling that she never noticed in him before.

She sighed, pulling away from him and allowing him some space. "I'm sorry, Smith."

He parted his lips. "Don't be. You have the right be be angry with me. All of you have the right to be angry with me. I am no Angel."

"And yet you are no Demon, either" her expression softened. She picked up her glass and left the kitchen. He followed her, keeping a respectful distance. The rain poured harder and the artificial world outside was absorbed by a gray mist.

"Why did you come to me, Smith?" she lowered herself on the sofa, taking a sip of her wine, while he remained standing.

"I need... information."

Her eyes rested on a far spot of the room. "How so?"

"There is something... not right" he lowered his voice. "Something outside. It's affecting the Matrix. Something is happening. I cannot discuss it with Agent Gray. Or Agent Pace. Agent Skinner... forget it."

"So I was your only option? Should I feel honored?" her attention turned back at the Agent in her living room. "Alright, spill it."

He approached the sofa and took a seat, keeping a considerable distance from Persephone. "They started digging four months ago. Not here in the Fertile Crescent, but further East. In Dubai."

"Dubai?"

"Well, where Dubai would have been today" he added. "And they are not digging to find yet another human city. This time, it's pure archeology."

"Why would they waste their resources on old ruins?" she narrowed her eyes.

"My thoughts exactly. However, I didn't pay much attention to their transmissions. Until I've intercepted this one, quite recently" he produced a small chip from his pocket, handing it over to her.

She switched to code vision and her reality changed to a radiant green code, as she scanned the contents of the chip. A small sigh escaped her lips. After a few moments, her vision turned back to normal and she returned the chip to its owner. She looked away, taking a sip of her wine.

"The Genesis Project" she finally answered.

Smith furrowed his brow.

"In ancient Sumerian civilization, it was believed that the gods from the stars - or as they were called the Nephilim - will return to this planet and will once again rule over the race of men. It was believed that the Nephilim were the hybrid offspring of fallen Angels and human women. Many scripts and religions have different names for them" she paused. "It was believed in many ancient civilizations that a race of Giants ruled this planet before the occurrence of the great flood. The Aztecs called them Quetzalcoatl, the flying serpents. Greeks referred to them as Zeus, gods and titans. The Vikings referred to them as Jætter."

"_There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown_" he quoted.

"Genesis chapter 6, verse 4. Very good" she smiled. "It was believed that Angels were interbreeding with the human race and that this was a primary reason for God destroying most of humanity with the great flood."

"The Genesis Project went wrong."

"Exactly" she nodded. "Many archaeologists throughout history were chasing the remains of the Giants. It was believed that this very location, the Arabian Peninsula, holds the keys to many answers. This recent digging in Dubai is no exception."

"Indeed. And they've stopped digging six days ago."

She held her breath for a moment. "They've found something."

"Yes."

"And this is something they can't explain."

"No."

"It was not made by humans."

"No".

Her eyes widened. "And it was not made by us either."

"No."

She rose up from the sofa, taking a deep breath. "Are you aware of that you might be facing deletion, Smith? This information is possibly highly classified."

He repeated her motion and rose up as well. "Yes. However, this goes beyond classified, there is a bigger game unfolding. Apparently, they knew about it a long time ago. Long ago before the war, even long before Matrix was created. And now, they are going to use this knowledge against us."

"What makes you so sure?"

"A feeling."

"I thought that those functions are meant for humans, not you" she teased him, repeating his words.

He ignored her remark. "I cannot explain it otherwise, Persephone. Something has changed. Six days ago, everything was normal. But now, I detect changes. Small, almost insignificant. Codes hidden within codes. Acting as if they have a will of their own. Replicating and overwriting. Creating new patterns. I've never seen anything like it."

She crossed her arms. "It is possible that neither Oracle or Architect are aware of it" she paused.

"Neither they or humans know anything about it."

"Didn't the 01 initiated the Dubai expedition in the first place?"

"No."

"Zion?"

"No."

"Then who did?"

He shook his head. "The machines are digging, yet the orders didn't come from the Architect."

"I see. How many are aware of this present situation?"

"Me" he hesitated. "And now, you."

"Oh" a pout.

"Why, thank you for bringing me on a certain deletion list, Smith. I really appreciate" she narrowed her eyes.

"Persephone.."

"Now that you've been so kind to entwine me into your path, it's too late to retreat, isn't it" a heavy sigh. "It is possible that we must get to the bottom of this, we seem to have no choice."

He fixed her with an puzzled look. "Are you suggesting Dubai?"

"Perhaps."

"Woman, are you out of your mind?"

"That, too."

"I cannot return to 01, I'm bound to serve here as an Agent."

"Well, you must remember that my ex-husband had quite a passage between the machine world and the human world" her brown eyes sparkled.

"Even if the passage is still working, we have to fight our way through Hell to retrieve our cybernetic bodies. Assuming they are not destroyed in the first place" he grimaced. A distant memory of being in a body of human Bane, instantly made him cringe.

"Smith" she stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. "There are ways to bend the rules. There are many possibilities. Secret doors. Right now, you must return to your duties and give me some time to do research. But be careful and watch your back. We never had this conversation."

He nodded, replacing his sunglasses. Withdrawing from her, he headed towards the door. She remained standing in the room, watching him leave.

"Agent Smith" she called him just before he made his exit. He halted, but didn't turn his head to face her.

"You never answered my question. Why did you come to me?"

"I have fallen from grace, Persephone. But you know that I am no Demon" with this words, he stepped outside in the rain.


	2. Quadrant D1674

Agent Smith had an ache. A harsh ache. He had a name for that ache.

The name was Agent Pace.

Things have unquestionably changed since he was returned to his duties. Not only Smith was in charge of new and upgraded Agents, for better and for worse, but now he had to deal with a new type of Agent, a female Agent at that, that was designed for human-machine relations. Agent Pace was a prototype, a new and upgraded version, destined to improve human interactions.

Once again, Smith silently cursed whoever initiated such a ludicrous idea. Not only Pace was supposed to nurse the creatures that had breathing as their main intelligent activity, but she was also designed to get involved with them. To interact with them as if she was a human.

"Bonjorno, Agent Smith" she greeted him in her usual manner, offering him her wide smile. Agent Pace was fond of Italian language and often used selected words to greet her colleagues.

He scowled, looking away from her. Why she insisted to act as one of those ill willed, stinking, amoral, pathetic and utterly insignificant creatures that were called humans, was beyond him. Smith knew that Pace was introduced to replace Agent Skinner, who was set for deletion, since he was disabled by the Assassin virus. Still, Smith had difficulties to cope with Pace's purpose. These species were meant for extinction, they were an undeniably purposeless waste of molecules that polluted and destroyed this planet… and yet she, the epitome of Artificial Intelligence, was constructed to imitate them. Smith took it as an insult to his kind.

"Good morning, Agent Pace" a trace of smile from Agent Gray greeted the female Agent.

Agent Gray functioned as the Lead Agent in Smith's absence, but had to return to his duties as a second in charge by the time of Smith's reinsertion. Smith had to admit that Gray did a fairly good job, yet he lacked Smith's precision and skills. Gray demonstrated an admiration for his superior, for reason among the facts that Smith survived all versions of the Matrix, yet Smith doubted that the admiration was genuine. Gray didn't question Smith's orders, yet a part of Smith had a distant suspicion that Gray was waiting for his second chance to become a Lead Agent and to replace Smith. Agent Gray, as most of the Agents, was infected by Smith's code before the Matrix was reloaded. After these events took place and Matrix returned to normal, Agent Gray was freed and returned to his function of an Agent as well as Recruiter and Controller of humans that were believed to be useful in assistance of controlling the Matrix. Due to his continuing contact with humans, Agent Gray became reasonably good in human interactions. Although he didn't enjoy dealing with humans, he was more experienced than other Agents and that gave him a sense of pride. Agent Pace, being knowledgeable in human relations as well, shared a special bond with Gray.

"Not saying hello, Agent Smith?" Agent Pace offered him a playful remark.

Smith gritted his teeth, ignoring the blond Agent's attempt to small talk "Greetings, Agent Pace" he said indifferently. "We have a briefing ahead of us, Ladies and Gentlemen."

The last fact sickened him. Agent Pace had a soft spot for Smith. Perhaps it was because of Smith's reputation. If you tried to destroy the world, it would not go unnoticed. Perhaps it was because of Smith's disregard of humans. Or perhaps it was because of the fact that Smith always ignored Pace's attempts to flirt with him. The idea itself was revolting. Not only Pace was behaving like a human, but she also tried to force her ways on to other Agents. Agent Gray, being a much newer version than Smith, didn't mind Pace's behavior and even responded to that. Ascertaining by all standards, Agent Pace was quite attractive and to some males, even alluring. Smith didn't dare to speculate if Pace and Gray attempted to copulate, but the idea crossed his mind several times. He forced it in the back of his head, becoming repulsed by the very thought of it. The world has indeed changed.

"The Rebel activity is decreasing" Agent Gray started off the briefing. "All sectors in Mega City are secured. Club Hel still holds refuge to some Exiles, but they are not a major threat to the System. The Assassin virus has been neutralized and contained as the virus analogists are decoding its contents."

Agent Pace joined in. "Zion is still negotiating the rights of Thomas A. Anderson's remains. The Agent's Audi's will soon be replaced by the newest version – Audi R8. Oh, and Agent Skinner is set for deletion in 46 hours, poor fellow" she added, pouting.

Smith fought an attempt to roll eyes and feigned interest. "With other words, you are reporting that we are heading towards yet another completely aimless day and that no assignments are addressing our attention."

"But I beg to differ, Agent Smith" Agent Pace's large brown eyes fixed on him. "We Agents have so much to do – upholding the peace, interacting with humans, learning their ways, becoming more human, blending in."

"Well, apart from that" he sighed. His hand started to inch for his Desert Eagle.

"Apart from that, Dear Agent Smith" she continued. The itch for his Desert Eagle became stronger. "Apart from that, we did found an anomaly that you might be interested to have a look at."

Smith shifted in his seat and speculated what she had to share with him that was important enough for his attention.

"A code malfunction."

Smith slowly raised his eyebrow.

"Quadrant D1674" Gray continued. "Quite frankly, we haven't seen anything like it. Perhaps it could be a glitch. Perhaps it is something else. We have secured the perimeter."

"Any causalities?"

"None."

"Radius?"

"156 meters in diameter."

"The Matrix is still stabilizing after you have... returned" Pace bit her lip. Smith ignored her remark.

"That code malfunction could be anything, let us not make assumptions" Gray turned to Pace.

"Agent Gray and I will investigate the source of this disturbance. I believe this briefing is over" Smith straightened his tie and rose up from his seat.

"You won't be in need of my assistance today, Agent Smith?" Pace took a hopeful step toward the Lead Agent.

"No thank you, Agent Pace" Smith addressed her professionally. "I believe that you have some human interactions to attend to."

With these words, the two male Agents left the office, leaving a somehow disappointed Agent Pace behind.

* * *

A black Audi sleekly made its way through the morning traffic, as the two silent passengers were heading towards their objective. Gray broke the silence with a small smirk.

"What is it, Agent Gray?"

"No, nothing."

"A big nothing it is" Smith's attention was partly back on the road.

"Why do you keep ignoring her?"

Smith's head turned towards Gray. "Who?"

"Agent Pace."

For 0.4632 seconds, Smith lost control of the turning wheel. "What?!"

"Well, she likes you, you know" Agent Gray smiled.

The itch for his Desert Eagle briefly returned to the Audi's driver.

"Agent Gray. I will say it once and only once. As your superior, I must remind you that you have no right to question my authority or to make any assumptions about my privacy. Rest assured, Agent Pace's attempts to infect me with 'human interaction' don't work on me and neither should you make any assumptions on that account. I have no business with Agent Pace other than our professional relation and I would kindly ask you to renounce from raising that issue any further."

"Of course, Agent Smith" Gray turned his head away, looking at the road.

Smith's itch for using his Desert Eagle didn't cease until they arrived at their destination.

* * *

It was a specifically hot day in the Matrix and Smith briefly wondered if the developers were applying new modifications to the weather patterns. Humans called this unusual heat "global warming". Humans… such idiots.

The countryside was a refreshing setting and the busy streets of Mega City were replaced by fields and small farm houses. The asphalted road ended and a bumpy country road, adorned with wild bushes and oak trees, stretched across the landscape. After some considerably tiresome seventeen minutes, the Audi finally arrived at the specified location.

The two Agents got out of the car and were instantly met by a strong smell of the nearby farming industry. Smith wrinkled his nose.

"What are we looking at, Agent Gray?"

"This way" Gray gestured for Smith to follow him, as he proceeded inside the corn field.

A few meters away from the car, Smith's mouth twisted in annoyance, as his perfectly polished shoes made contact with dirt, which he didn't bother to analyze. It seemed that a cow left its presence not a long time before the Agents' arrival. Smith decided to satisfy his burning itch and promised himself to put a bullet through that cow once the opportunity would present itself. Ignoring the foul smell, he cleaned his shoes by altering the code. Fortunately, the whole episode went unnoticed by his colleague. He shrugged and followed Agent Gray inside the field.

"The code malfunction was discovered quite recently and the analogists cannot indentify its origin" Agent Gray carried on.

"Resistance?" Smith suggested.

"This case has no obvious relation to the Resistance; the code patterns are too complex for a human mind to grasp. Yet, we have underestimated them before and we must not exclude that possibility."

"I believe that you give them too much credit, Agent Gray."

"On the contrary, they have taken us by surprise before, Agent Smith. Thomas A. Anderson was just one of these examples" he challenged.

For a moment, Smith reminded himself of a Zen teaching about non-involvement and ignored the inevitable feeling of a punch in the gut, deciding to engage Gray's offending remark on a professional level. "Thomas A. Anderson – Neo as he liked to be called - was a mere systemic anomaly, a part of the equation and a pawn in the game of change. Yet he was a mere human and thus mortal and expendable, much like his predecessors. Although we have all learned our parts in the game of change, the history will repeat itself and more systemic anomalies will arise in the future. It is a part of a human blueprint, a part of who they are. On that account, Agent Gray, human behavior is predictable and it is incorrect to assume that they are able to surprise us by any means."

"Of course, Agent Smith" Gray responded politely, yet his voice held a palpable disagreement.

The two Agents carried on in silence, until Agent Gray abruptly brought himself to a hold. Smith stopped and crossed his arms, looking expectantly at the younger Agent.

"We are here" Gray pronounced triumphantly.

To begin with, Smith didn't detect anything remarkable. The sky, the field and the surrounding farms were an accurate execution of Matrix programming, almost trivial, a perfect harmony of mathematical precision. After a couple of moments, an impulse made him look down. The corn at his feet appeared slightly unusual. Smith narrowed his eyes and decided to take a closer look.

The corn didn't grow up, but seemed to be pressed down. Not torn, neither broken, but curved and woven in precise geometric patterns. He kneeled and picked up a straw. Immediately, it straightened up at his touch, as if nothing ever happened to it. Slowly, he rose up and noticed that the area, in which the corn was modified, was impressively large and also appeared to be in an accurate geometric pattern. The pattern expanded and occupied a great part of the field.

A sudden realization hit Agent Smith like a celestial thunder. He was standing in the middle of what humans labeled a crop circle.


	3. Merkabah

Why she had chosen to meet him at this specific location, annoyed him to a certain degree. Yet again, he had to comply with her wish, knowing that she had an upper hand in this game of information.

A small restaurant was located in the sleepier area of the city and the early evening heat was finally dissolving into a somewhat pleasant temperature. There was a promise of rain as the clouds started to gather in the East end of the horizon. He parked the Audi, replaced his sunglasses and after ensuring that he wasn't followed, he finally entered the restaurant. The place didn't look too extravagant, adorned with neat furniture, pleasant light setting and soft background music. To an untrained eye, it could be just a small and cozy place to eat. To a trained eye, one would notice the high quality of even the smallest detail. Smith expected nothing less from a five star Michelin restaurant.

A polite waiter greeted him and gestured him to follow inside the dining hall, which consisted only eight simple yet very gracefully made tables with fine porcelain and designer silverware that matched the elegant wine glasses. It was too late for brunch and too early for dinner, so the restaurant was empty, apart from one occupied table which belonged to the person who was guilty of dragging Smith into this delicate setting.

"You're late."

Smith took a place opposite to her and removed his sunglasses and earpiece. "It looks like you didn't mind waiting" he gestured at her half empty wine glass and crème brûlée.

She smiled "Do you want one?"

He offered her a sour look.

"Oh, I've forgotten. Don't feed the Agents."

He nodded.

"Still" she continued. Their crème brûlée is amazing. So as the Rhône, it's particularly good."

Scowl.

"Come on. It won't kill you."

Almost inaudible growl.

"Well, you have to order something. Otherwise they'll have to kick you out."

He sighed. "Alright."

She smiled triumphantly as the waiter took his order. A double espresso. Well, it was a start.

She leaned back in her chair and studied him. "Busy day?"

He crossed his arms. "Nothing out of ordinary. The Rebel activity is almost at its minimum, which makes our existence incredibly dull at the moment. Not much action, apart from those infuriating human interactions. Fortunately, Agents Gray and Pace are assigned to that."

"Human interactions – that sounds like fun, isn't it?"

He gave her a look. "You have no idea."

"So, yet another boring day at the office, Mister Lead Agent?" she grinned.

"Something like that. Well, besides…"

"Besides what?"

"Besides from the main reason why I have requested your company."

"Oi" she took a sip of her wine. "Now, it's starting to get interesting."

"Indeed." He shifted in his chair as his espresso arrived. "Yesterday, I have witnessed new anomaly. Quadrant D1674."

"Oh, D1674. You were out to get some fresh air?"

"Air, yes. Fresh, no" he wrinkled his nose.

She smirked.

"The code malfunction that was present there… well, I must admit that it was something unexpected." He slowly picked up his espresso and studied it, but not taking a sip. "Unexpected because I had no idea that it would somehow relate to religious Jewish symbolism."

"How so?"

He replaced his espresso back on the table and dived inside his jacket, producing a folded piece of paper. Quickly scanning the room and making sure that they were alone, he handed the paper to Persephone.

She put down her wine and unfolded the paper. A long moment has passed before her eyes made contact with his. "This is unusual." She finally said. But it wasn't the answer he expected.

"Why this symbol?"

"Oh, it has nothing to do with Jewish religion." She narrowed her eyes and studied the image again.

"It's a Star of David."

"No, Smith, it's not."

"How so?" The sound of thunder rolled across the evening sky.

"Well, it is - yet it's not." Rain started pouring against the windows as the summer heat began to fade.

"What is it then?"

"Merkabah."

"What?"

"Merkabah. In many ancient religions, Merkabah was believed to be a light body – an interdimensional vehicle, in which the Elders and the Ascended Masters used to travel in-between the dimensions and to communicate with the spirit world. This symbol doesn't only bear importance to the Jewish religion. In fact, the ancient Sumerians, the Egyptian and Roman civilizations, the Pagans as well as the Christians, valued this symbol."

"Oh."

"You can also find Masonic references to Merkabah, the union of Blade and Chalice."

Smith wasn't sure what to make of this new information and decided to let her continue.

"No wonder why the first thing you thought of was the Star of David. Merkabah is not exactly a mainstream knowledge. Catholic Church did a good job of disguising the true meaning of this symbol, centuries ago. Those who mastered the knowledge of Merkabah, had to vanish. Those who opposed the Church, were subdued by the Inquisition."

"The Knights Templar?"

She nodded. "Many Templars managed to escape the Catholic Church. Many of them formed worldwide secret societies and carried on with their knowledge. A knowledge that was labeled forbidden and dangerous, even occult. The power of Catholic propaganda remains, even today. Most of the Masonic symbols have remarkable history, you can trace them back to ancient Egypt and Sumerians, one of course needs to know how and where to look. Oh, and your coffee gets gold."

Smith blinked and eyed his espresso, the elegant cup mocking him.

A small smile appeared on her lips. "Come on. It won't bite you."

Gritting his teeth, he bravely brought the cup to his lips and tasted the foul liquid. As it reached insides of his mouth and throat, he instantly removed the cup and replaced it on the table.

He swallowed hard and already wished that the liquid never reached his mouth in the first place. His appearance remained unaffected, but his insides protested loudly.

Persephone brought her hands together and applauded. "Mister Agent Man just had his fist coffee. This is a historical day."

Smith fixed her with a stern look.

"Let's try with chocolate next time" she smiled.

He ignored her cheerful outburst, bringing her back on the track. "So, where do the crop circles come in?"

"Ah, the little green men" she nodded.

"Agent Gray believes that it could be the work of Resistance."

"And I believe that Agent Gray gives the Resistance too much credit" she folded the paper and handed it over to Smith.

"But if not them, then who?"

"I cannot answer that yet, Smith. There are many glitches in the Matrix. UFOs and crop circles use to be a part of those glitches."

"I've analyzed the code, it's not a usual glitch within the system."

"I know you did."

"And yet you suspect it to be a glitch?"

"Well, I am being open to possibilities. Yet I must admit that I've never seen a Merkabah before, not like that. But as it is now, neither of us knows the truth and neither of us must assume too much at this moment."

"So, you cannot provide me with a sufficient answer."

"I'm not the Oracle, Smith" she shrugged. "Yes, I bear a lot of information, but I have my limitations."

"So I've noticed." Smith replaced his sunglasses and rose up from his seat.

Persephone's lips parted at his sudden remark and her eyes widened.

"I don't have patience for this" he buttoned up his jacket. "Neither I have patience for your little human games and your tea parties."

A look of shock spread across her features.

"I've made a mistake contacting you regarding this matter, Persephone. I will deal with this alone from now on."

She tried to collect her thoughts, before forming a response.

"Alright. Then go, Smith. You're on your own now." She bit her lower lip, looking away.

Smith turned his back on her, making deliberate strides across the dining hall and left the restaurant.

He never saw her flushed face. He never saw a tear making its way down across her cheek.


End file.
